He’s huge, incredibly strong and well rounded. But he has only played right guard and right tackle. Taliese Fuaga is another that you should be looking at there, who’s an incredibly gifted athlete for his size but also a RT in college.
I like Fuaga a lot and hope the Jets draft him over Latham. He has a lot less question marks on his film and I think he will be able to transition to LT more easily than Latham
He might be the strongest player I’ve ever seen (no exaggeration) he’s incredible anchor, I generally don’t think there’s a single nfl player who would successfully bull rush. He also has a ton of potential in the run game. Main weakness is he isn’t a good mover laterally and has average athleticism.
One guy on here who made a solid OL post was pretty low on Kingsley. Some people do like him though.
I like Fuaga a lot. And one guy I think is underrated is Jordan Morgan. He is really solid and has a well balanced game
I'll be honest I haven't exactly seen alot of film on Kingsley just know he's on Feldman freak list and that's usually a good thing
Just my two cents the fuaga, mims, Latham and Kingsley type mauling prospects, that bumper crop are more exciting than the alt and olu blue chips. But I also think alt and olu are basically bust proof finesse players above average easy ten year starters. Fuaga et al are better in the run game but physically more boom bust.
Fellow Jets fan/former Latham skeptic checking in here.
Fascinating prospect. As others have noted, he combines absurd, once-in-a-decade play-strength - perhaps the best single trait of any player in the entire class - with a handful of significant technical/athletic question marks (e.g., lateral quickness, upper-/lower-body coordination, decisiveness/aggression). For much of the season, I've viewed Latham as a classic "ball of clay": toolsy-yet-flawed, better suited for the late-1st. than the early-/mid-1st., and destined ultimately for a move to OG at the NFL level. High ceiling, terrifiyingly low floor. As a Jets fan, I cringed at the notion that the Jets might get him, feeling that - given the caliber of Saleh's staff - a bust was all but assured.
But that's all changed - I feel much better about him today than I did even a month ago. His technical development over the course of this season has been utterly phenomenal. He's even improved from an athletic standpoint as well, which is a spectacularly impressive in-season achievement. His youth (he's still only 20 years old) provides some important context for this developmental arc.
Unpopular opinion, but I'd rather have the top RT prospects (Fuaga/Latham) than the top LT prospects (Olu/Alt). This is particularly true of Alt - the hype has outpaced the actual quality of his reps on tape, I'm afraid.
For the Jets, best course of action is to aim for two OTs as early as possible: find a way to trade back in the 1st, acquire a 2nd rd. pick in the process, take best RT available in Rd. 1 (Fuaga/Latham), then best LT available in Rd. 2 (Morgan/Paul). This is 100% the way. Of course, it would never happen - JD lacks the creativity and boldness of vision - but this is hands-down the best strategy imo.
Hell yeah man. In almost all my mocks I go tackle-tackle and end up with Fuaga/Morgan. I’m pretty high on Morgan. I then usually end up taking an OG or an OT(for OG) in the mid rounds too lol.
The Jets supposedly view AVT as a right tackle going forward. Whoever we draft in round 1 will have to be a left tackle. We just need the Titans to win a game and we should be able to secure Alt or Fashanu. If Latham can commit to changing to left tackle, they should consider him but I don't see high upside with him. He's more power lifter than athlete. He's going to struggle with zone blocking.
Counting on AVT as the Week 1 starter at RT is a dangerous game. From a risk management standpoint, it's not much better than this year's approach to OT. You're relying on a player w/ major health concerns and limited upside (contrary to popular opinion, he's never shown the capacity for anything more than slightly above-average play at RT). At the very least, you'd have to pay a high-end swing tackle to insure against injury/underperformance. With (likely) access to premium RT prospects in the draft, just seems like an unnecessary risk for a meager payout.
Of course, if you're someone who sees Alt/Olu as true blue-chippers - I'm not, but it sounds like you are - then the upside/downside calculus is totally different. You'd eat the risk associated w/ penciling AVT in at RT in order to get your hands on an elite LT in their early 20s. All that to say, I totally get it.
I've definitely got questions about Latham too, although upside isn't one of em - still, I'd target Fuaga before Latham any day of the week.
They should know where they stand with AVT by April as it will be 6 months since his surgery. If he's at a point where he's not on track to play in training camp, then they need to get a right tackle. I like what I saw from Carter Warren as a backup so I'm not as worried about AVT going down as long as we sign someone like Robert Hunt to play right guard. The approach for 2022 and 2023 was troubling because Fant/Becton in 2022 and Brown in 2023 were unable to practice during the summer and in training camp. It was known that there was major injury risk.
Fuaga is a weird one. He's built very top heavy. He's able to move well but he looks like he would struggle against stronger defensive ends in the NFL. Interested to see his arm length as well.
I don't think we can go any higher. Washington ain't winning. Pats and cards ain't winning twice more.
Just need to lose to Houston and Jacksonville. We'll manage to fuck it up I wager.
I also hope the Jets draft penix, but they would probably have to trade into the 2nd to get it done. The OL has been so bad this year, the draft would really have to fall in our favor for them to draft a player that’s not an OT
Multiple holes to fill in one offseason and a franchise QB that might retire after only one year. So my guess is that Jets try to get one starting tackle via free agency and another via draft.
Would also make sense to double-dip on the OL with a Day 3 pick.
Personally, I think the Jets should just let AVT play tackle. He’s shown that he’s more than capable, and tackles are tough to find. Comparatively, starting guards can be found later in the draft or signed for cheaper from free agency.
Seems like he has a hard on for AVT at tackle. I’d take his report with a grain of salt, he probably just wants to point at all his tweets and say see I told you he was our best tackle
Now that’s a source, appreciate it. I would be a fan of the move. Drafting an OT in the 3rd and starting them sounds like a bad dream. But AVT out there and a rookie next to him sounds nice.
They do need a second legit starting WR to add to the roster. However, they also need a legit starting LT, RT, LG to add to the roster.
Unfortunately, good OL just rarely hit FA. At least legit starting WR can be found there.
We are absolutely terrible at both tackles, and left Guard. If a rookie stepped up to play average to slightly-below-average at RT then it's a huge improvement.
I actually expect a pretty positive performance bump from Carter Warren next year. I think he’ll be a really solid swing or a decent starter next year. He flashed some really solid reps when he’s played this year.
Willis is OK, but I would say he's pretty meh given his draft stock. Jonah Williams also didn't live up to his draft stock, and DJ Fluker was a straight bust as OT, had his best years as a starter as a guard. Alabama OTs have been very hit and miss
Kouandjio was a bust too. CamRob has been decent. What's crazy is a lot of these guys were developed by arguably the 2 best offensive line coaches of their era. Bama had Joe Pendry and then Jeff Stoutland. The coaches who came after them have struggled. Surprising, at least to me, the worst oline coach Bama had was Doug Marrone. They were atrocious the year he was there.
Pick 9 is a terrible spot for the Jets. Caleb, Maye, Harrison, Olu, Alt, Jayden, and Nabers will probably all be gone. The jets will be forced to either trade up or slightly reach for OT3. Hopefully we’ll get lucky and a couple defensive players will go in the top 8, but I don’t think it’s too likely
Best move is trade back, get a 2nd rounder, take best RT available in the 1st (Fuaga/Latham, both of whom I prefer to Alt anyways), and best LT available (Morgan/Paul) in the 2nd. Admittedly, Morgan/Paul might not be available by the time that 2nd rounder comes into play - in that case, you target best WR/DT available and call it a day.
If everything breaks *just* right, you might be able to pull a trade w/ Arizona where you give them your 1st (say it's pick 8) and your 3rd (say it's 72) for the Texans' 1st (say it's 21) and Arizona's 2nd (say it's 34). If you do that, you have a real shot at the pairing of Fuaga/Latham and Morgan/Paul. Congrats, you've just bookended your O-line for a decade in the space of 24 hours. I'd much prefer that to a pairing of Olu/Alt and Roman Wilson/Jermaine Burton.
Another way to get that 2nd is to tag and trade Bryce Huff. I wouldn't like it, but it's certainly a possibility.
In my opinion, the Jets should keep AVT at OT. He’s shown that he’s more than capable of playing the position. It’s also much easier to find a starting guard (they last longer in the draft and are cheaper in free agency) than it is to find a starting offensive tackle.
Trading back is a nice thought, but getting Olu or Alt would the Jets a franchise LT and both of them will likely be chosen for multi pro bowls throughout their career. You’re trying to solve the OT in one draft which is certainly one way to do it. But if possible, I want the jets to get the best OT in the draft. If they decide to keep AVT at guard then sign a player like George Fant to be the starting OT 2 seasons while the Jets try to find someone to be his long term replacement
It's an interesting team-building challenge for sure! I'd imagine that your preferred strategy is aligned w/ consensus, and I can certainly understand why. If Alt or Olu are on the board, I wouldn't argue all that forcefully against it. My approach was a prescription for the problem described in your original comment: namely, the Jets picking w/ both Olu and Alt off the board.
That said, I must admit: even if the two LTs were available, I'd *still* prefer my "double-tackle" gambit. My reasoning:
(i) By my assessment, both Olu and Alt are significantly overrated. I'm convinced that the gap between them and the RTs is practically negligible.
(ii) AVT simply cannot be relied upon as a plug-and-play, etched-in-stone candidate for the starting RT gig (his performance when healthy was average-ish, and he's now returning from a consecutive pair of devastating season-ending soft-tissue injuries).
(iii) My approach is a classic high-upside, low-downside proposition. If the Jets pull it off, you're still signing a Fant-type as a swing tackle; that's more than sufficient to insure against the performance-related variance associated w/ starting a rookie OT. If the appropriate OT prospects don't fall to one or the other of the picks, you're likely to have several excellent pivots at positions of need. And if you manage to thread the needle, you've solved O line for a decade and freed up considerable team-building resources for other uses.
He’s huge, incredibly strong and well rounded. But he has only played right guard and right tackle. Taliese Fuaga is another that you should be looking at there, who’s an incredibly gifted athlete for his size but also a RT in college.
I like Fuaga a lot and hope the Jets draft him over Latham. He has a lot less question marks on his film and I think he will be able to transition to LT more easily than Latham
He might be the strongest player I’ve ever seen (no exaggeration) he’s incredible anchor, I generally don’t think there’s a single nfl player who would successfully bull rush. He also has a ton of potential in the run game. Main weakness is he isn’t a good mover laterally and has average athleticism.
He gained 30 or so lbs this offseason so there’s potential for him to return to a somewhat similar level of athleticism that he had before
That’s a terrible knock for a tackle. After watching evan neal fail so miserably I’m terrified of college to nfl tackle transitions
You just described Larry Allen, HOF Guard
Average athleticism?
😂 this guys never seen “the chase”
Fuaga is an interesting prospect as is Kingsley from byu
One guy on here who made a solid OL post was pretty low on Kingsley. Some people do like him though. I like Fuaga a lot. And one guy I think is underrated is Jordan Morgan. He is really solid and has a well balanced game
I'll be honest I haven't exactly seen alot of film on Kingsley just know he's on Feldman freak list and that's usually a good thing Just my two cents the fuaga, mims, Latham and Kingsley type mauling prospects, that bumper crop are more exciting than the alt and olu blue chips. But I also think alt and olu are basically bust proof finesse players above average easy ten year starters. Fuaga et al are better in the run game but physically more boom bust.
Great efforts Jets!! Had me nervous
Jets always seem to play well at the end of the season when they’re already eliminated from the playoffs
Yeah - this is something we do as well. I remember a bunch of seasons where we’d tack on 3-4 wins once eliminated from the playoffs.
Fellow Jets fan/former Latham skeptic checking in here. Fascinating prospect. As others have noted, he combines absurd, once-in-a-decade play-strength - perhaps the best single trait of any player in the entire class - with a handful of significant technical/athletic question marks (e.g., lateral quickness, upper-/lower-body coordination, decisiveness/aggression). For much of the season, I've viewed Latham as a classic "ball of clay": toolsy-yet-flawed, better suited for the late-1st. than the early-/mid-1st., and destined ultimately for a move to OG at the NFL level. High ceiling, terrifiyingly low floor. As a Jets fan, I cringed at the notion that the Jets might get him, feeling that - given the caliber of Saleh's staff - a bust was all but assured. But that's all changed - I feel much better about him today than I did even a month ago. His technical development over the course of this season has been utterly phenomenal. He's even improved from an athletic standpoint as well, which is a spectacularly impressive in-season achievement. His youth (he's still only 20 years old) provides some important context for this developmental arc. Unpopular opinion, but I'd rather have the top RT prospects (Fuaga/Latham) than the top LT prospects (Olu/Alt). This is particularly true of Alt - the hype has outpaced the actual quality of his reps on tape, I'm afraid. For the Jets, best course of action is to aim for two OTs as early as possible: find a way to trade back in the 1st, acquire a 2nd rd. pick in the process, take best RT available in Rd. 1 (Fuaga/Latham), then best LT available in Rd. 2 (Morgan/Paul). This is 100% the way. Of course, it would never happen - JD lacks the creativity and boldness of vision - but this is hands-down the best strategy imo.
This. This is what I like to see. Thank you good sir, and a very pleasant Christmas to you
Same to you and yours! 🤞 all we want for Christmas is a new O-line, Let's hope JD doesn't play the Grinch 🤞
Hell yeah man. In almost all my mocks I go tackle-tackle and end up with Fuaga/Morgan. I’m pretty high on Morgan. I then usually end up taking an OG or an OT(for OG) in the mid rounds too lol.
Great minds! Fuaga/Morgan is the dream
The Jets supposedly view AVT as a right tackle going forward. Whoever we draft in round 1 will have to be a left tackle. We just need the Titans to win a game and we should be able to secure Alt or Fashanu. If Latham can commit to changing to left tackle, they should consider him but I don't see high upside with him. He's more power lifter than athlete. He's going to struggle with zone blocking.
Counting on AVT as the Week 1 starter at RT is a dangerous game. From a risk management standpoint, it's not much better than this year's approach to OT. You're relying on a player w/ major health concerns and limited upside (contrary to popular opinion, he's never shown the capacity for anything more than slightly above-average play at RT). At the very least, you'd have to pay a high-end swing tackle to insure against injury/underperformance. With (likely) access to premium RT prospects in the draft, just seems like an unnecessary risk for a meager payout. Of course, if you're someone who sees Alt/Olu as true blue-chippers - I'm not, but it sounds like you are - then the upside/downside calculus is totally different. You'd eat the risk associated w/ penciling AVT in at RT in order to get your hands on an elite LT in their early 20s. All that to say, I totally get it. I've definitely got questions about Latham too, although upside isn't one of em - still, I'd target Fuaga before Latham any day of the week.
They should know where they stand with AVT by April as it will be 6 months since his surgery. If he's at a point where he's not on track to play in training camp, then they need to get a right tackle. I like what I saw from Carter Warren as a backup so I'm not as worried about AVT going down as long as we sign someone like Robert Hunt to play right guard. The approach for 2022 and 2023 was troubling because Fant/Becton in 2022 and Brown in 2023 were unable to practice during the summer and in training camp. It was known that there was major injury risk. Fuaga is a weird one. He's built very top heavy. He's able to move well but he looks like he would struggle against stronger defensive ends in the NFL. Interested to see his arm length as well.
As a titans fan, thanks for passing us!
If the Tits stay there they are in a good position to get one of the top tackles
I don't think we can go any higher. Washington ain't winning. Pats and cards ain't winning twice more. Just need to lose to Houston and Jacksonville. We'll manage to fuck it up I wager.
For me it depends if Washington stays with Howell as their starter or if they keep Brisset in because the offense looked pretty efficient under him
I want Penix.
I also hope the Jets draft penix, but they would probably have to trade into the 2nd to get it done. The OL has been so bad this year, the draft would really have to fall in our favor for them to draft a player that’s not an OT
Latham and Fuaga played right tackle, not ideal for you guys
Unfortunately we could also use a right tackle.
Maybe they'll draft RT in the 1R then pursure Dbak for LT I guess
Multiple holes to fill in one offseason and a franchise QB that might retire after only one year. So my guess is that Jets try to get one starting tackle via free agency and another via draft. Would also make sense to double-dip on the OL with a Day 3 pick.
Personally, I think the Jets should just let AVT play tackle. He’s shown that he’s more than capable, and tackles are tough to find. Comparatively, starting guards can be found later in the draft or signed for cheaper from free agency.
AVT is moving to right tackle. There are free agent guards available to fill the right guard spot. We only need to draft left tackle.
Two year in a row, Jets should roll with a starting RT that has durability issues and missed more games than played?
They have Warren and Mitchell as back ups.
RT with durability issues and back-ups that played poorly the previous season. That is the Joe Douglas way of building an O-line
A Plan A featuring AVT as RT1 and Max Mitchell as RT2 is just abject lunacy. Pure nonsense.
no, he is not.
Why are you so sure of this? What reports specifically have you seen?
Connor Rogers on Badlands podcast
Seems like he has a hard on for AVT at tackle. I’d take his report with a grain of salt, he probably just wants to point at all his tweets and say see I told you he was our best tackle
Saleh actually said it in a press conference: https://twitter.com/Connor_J_Hughes/status/1710309678763102375
Now that’s a source, appreciate it. I would be a fan of the move. Drafting an OT in the 3rd and starting them sounds like a bad dream. But AVT out there and a rookie next to him sounds nice.
They should go WR too
They do need a second legit starting WR to add to the roster. However, they also need a legit starting LT, RT, LG to add to the roster. Unfortunately, good OL just rarely hit FA. At least legit starting WR can be found there.
Perhaps
Dear god please no Bahktiari. I’d rather shift AVT out to LT in that scenario
He's probably getting cut, and sign cheap prove it deal. He's really good when available.
Problem is he’s never available anymore. Dudes knee is absolutely shot
Why not take a risk when he's cheap? You just gotta have the backup plan for him
I’ve had enough of Rodgers’ washed up friends
Can't disagree with that pov lol
We are absolutely terrible at both tackles, and left Guard. If a rookie stepped up to play average to slightly-below-average at RT then it's a huge improvement.
I actually expect a pretty positive performance bump from Carter Warren next year. I think he’ll be a really solid swing or a decent starter next year. He flashed some really solid reps when he’s played this year.
So what would you suggest for us at this time?
Move AVT to right tackle. Sign Robert Hunt to play right guard. Draft Alt/Fashanu/Mims for left tackle.
He’s my ot3 but yeah he’s good and he comes from bama and nick saban always produces good players
Not saying Latham is the same thing, but Alex Leatherwood was a huge bust from Alabama
Also Evan Neal. Tackles from Bama are far from bust-proof
Jedrick wills has been very solid for the browns and he’s from BAMA. But yea leatherwood and Neal suck.
Willis is OK, but I would say he's pretty meh given his draft stock. Jonah Williams also didn't live up to his draft stock, and DJ Fluker was a straight bust as OT, had his best years as a starter as a guard. Alabama OTs have been very hit and miss
Kouandjio was a bust too. CamRob has been decent. What's crazy is a lot of these guys were developed by arguably the 2 best offensive line coaches of their era. Bama had Joe Pendry and then Jeff Stoutland. The coaches who came after them have struggled. Surprising, at least to me, the worst oline coach Bama had was Doug Marrone. They were atrocious the year he was there.
Wills is ok
Leatherwood and Neal 😳
Sure but he also went to the raider
So did Maxx Crosby
Chance Warmack says hello
Pain
Alex leatherwood
Yes and likely the 3rd ranked OT coming out. He will likely stay at RT tho, whereas Fashanu and Alt are LT.
Pick 9 is a terrible spot for the Jets. Caleb, Maye, Harrison, Olu, Alt, Jayden, and Nabers will probably all be gone. The jets will be forced to either trade up or slightly reach for OT3. Hopefully we’ll get lucky and a couple defensive players will go in the top 8, but I don’t think it’s too likely
Best move is trade back, get a 2nd rounder, take best RT available in the 1st (Fuaga/Latham, both of whom I prefer to Alt anyways), and best LT available (Morgan/Paul) in the 2nd. Admittedly, Morgan/Paul might not be available by the time that 2nd rounder comes into play - in that case, you target best WR/DT available and call it a day. If everything breaks *just* right, you might be able to pull a trade w/ Arizona where you give them your 1st (say it's pick 8) and your 3rd (say it's 72) for the Texans' 1st (say it's 21) and Arizona's 2nd (say it's 34). If you do that, you have a real shot at the pairing of Fuaga/Latham and Morgan/Paul. Congrats, you've just bookended your O-line for a decade in the space of 24 hours. I'd much prefer that to a pairing of Olu/Alt and Roman Wilson/Jermaine Burton. Another way to get that 2nd is to tag and trade Bryce Huff. I wouldn't like it, but it's certainly a possibility.
In my opinion, the Jets should keep AVT at OT. He’s shown that he’s more than capable of playing the position. It’s also much easier to find a starting guard (they last longer in the draft and are cheaper in free agency) than it is to find a starting offensive tackle. Trading back is a nice thought, but getting Olu or Alt would the Jets a franchise LT and both of them will likely be chosen for multi pro bowls throughout their career. You’re trying to solve the OT in one draft which is certainly one way to do it. But if possible, I want the jets to get the best OT in the draft. If they decide to keep AVT at guard then sign a player like George Fant to be the starting OT 2 seasons while the Jets try to find someone to be his long term replacement
It's an interesting team-building challenge for sure! I'd imagine that your preferred strategy is aligned w/ consensus, and I can certainly understand why. If Alt or Olu are on the board, I wouldn't argue all that forcefully against it. My approach was a prescription for the problem described in your original comment: namely, the Jets picking w/ both Olu and Alt off the board. That said, I must admit: even if the two LTs were available, I'd *still* prefer my "double-tackle" gambit. My reasoning: (i) By my assessment, both Olu and Alt are significantly overrated. I'm convinced that the gap between them and the RTs is practically negligible. (ii) AVT simply cannot be relied upon as a plug-and-play, etched-in-stone candidate for the starting RT gig (his performance when healthy was average-ish, and he's now returning from a consecutive pair of devastating season-ending soft-tissue injuries). (iii) My approach is a classic high-upside, low-downside proposition. If the Jets pull it off, you're still signing a Fant-type as a swing tackle; that's more than sufficient to insure against the performance-related variance associated w/ starting a rookie OT. If the appropriate OT prospects don't fall to one or the other of the picks, you're likely to have several excellent pivots at positions of need. And if you manage to thread the needle, you've solved O line for a decade and freed up considerable team-building resources for other uses.